It's been a busy few months lately in the world of Linux distributions, and August appears to be no exception.

Hard on the heels of the 19 new distros I wrote about the other day resulting from this month's “31 Flavors of Fun” project--not to mention major updates to Bodhi Linux and Damn Small Linux, among others--this week has seen the debut of another significant new entry as well.

PCLinuxOS is the distro in question this time, and on Wednesday it got a major new update to version 2012.08.

Now occupying the No. 10 spot on DistroWatch's page hit rankings, PCLinuxOS is a popular choice, particularly for KDE fans. Ready for a quick rundown? Here are some of the highlights you'll find in this latest version.

1. User-Friendly

PCLinuxOS has long been considered one of the more user-friendly Linux distributions available, and it offers out-of-the-box support for many popular graphics and sound cards as well as other peripheral devices. Included in the software's bootable live CD are not just an easy-to-use graphical installer but also a raft of popular applications

2. The Lovely KDE

Now in PCLinuxOS 2012.08 is the full KDE 4.8.3 as the default desktop, though versions with Xfce and LXDE are available as well. A “MiniMe” version, meanwhile, is “void of extra applications for those advanced users who wish to trick out their desktop with only the applications they want to install and use,” the project explains. While the full KDE version weighs in at 1283 MB, the MiniMe version is just 508 MB.

3. Broad Support

Based on the Linux kernel 3.2.18.2bfs version, PCLinuxOS strives to support a broad array of devices and formats. Included in this latest release, for example, are Nvidia and ATI fglrx driver support along with multimedia playback support for many popular formats and wireless support for many network devices. Printer support, meanwhile, covers many local and networked printer devices.

4. Packed with Applications

In addition to LibreOffice, Firefox, GIMP, and many other applications that come bundled with PCLinuxOS 2012.08, there are also some 13,500 more available through the Synaptic Software Manager.

5. More than 60 Languages

Last but not least there's PCLinuxOS's Addlocale feature, which lets users convert the free and open source operating system into more than 60 languages.

Ready to take PCLinuxOS for a commitment-free test drive? It's available as a free download on the project site.

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